Push-button electric-circuit maker and breaker



' July 28, 1925.

y l 1,548,011 D. BEHRSING ET AL PUSH BUTTON ELECTRIC CIRCUIT EKER ANDBRAKER Filed .m1y13--, i922 42m/zw 13de/Www', Cile/rma@ .67. @adam h@Hoang Patented July 28, 1925.

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DAVID BEHRSING AND yCLARENCE a. s-onsHALK, or PHILADELPHIA, PnnNsYLVANIA., A'SSIG-NORS T0 FOX AUTOMOTVE :PRODUCTSCOR'PGRATION, 0F PHILADEL-PHIl-i., PENNSYLVANIA, A COBEORTGN OF'DELAWARE. c

PUSH-BUTTON ELECTRIC-CIRCUIT MAKER AND BREAKER.

Application filed July 13, 1922. YSerial No. 574,844.

To all whom t may concern: Y

Be it known that we, DAVID VBEI-resine and CLARENCE A. GoDsHALII,citizens of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the countyof Philadelphia and Sta-'te of Pennsylvania, have invented certain lnewand useful Improvements in PushButton Electric-Circuit Makers andBreakers, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to electric circuit makers andbreakers,'particularly to those of the push button type such as areemployed upon motor vehicles for controlling the electric circuit bywhich lthe horn or other signalling device is operated. It has for itsobject to produce a housing for the circuit controlling parts of such adevice, that is adapted to be easily applied and supported in immediateproximity to the 'steering wheel thereof.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is an elevation of a horn buttoncircuit controlling device embodying our improvements.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of 'the housing, detached. n

In the drawings7 2 designates either th-e steering post of anautomobile, or the shortstub shaft that, in` someL makes `of cars, isemployed as an extension of the steering post or shaft. To this part issecured the steering wheel 3, which is held in place by a nut 4, thelatter being secured to the reduced screw-threaded portion, 5, of thepost or shaft 2. The parts thus far referred to may be of usual orpreferred construction. The nut 4 is providedwith an extension 6,preferably of less size, in diameter, ythan the nut, at the base ofwhich is a circumferential recess 7. The extension 6 isround .in crosssection andV its upper portion is formed with a beveled or inclined face8y just above the recess 7, and expanding downwardly or toward therecess.

9 is a housing, preferably ormed of thin metal, in which are located t ecircuit mak ing and breaking devices. It is round in cross section, andis provided at its lower end with an inturned flange 10 adapted to enterthe recess 7. The flange is cut in one or more places as indicated at17, thus-making it elastic and permitting the end of the housing to besprung over the tapering extension 6 of the nut.

The housing is also provided, at its upper end, with an inturned flange11, that serves to hold in place the horn button 12, which is the partof the circuit controlling mechanism 'that is exposed and touched by thedriver .of the car whenever he Wishes to sound his horn.

13V designates the contact mechanism located within the housing 9 andcontrolled by the horn button 12. This may be of any usualor preferredconstruction and is therefore not shown in detail. 14 designates th-einsulating base carrying the terminals and 'the contact-making parts ofthe device, it being located entirely within the housing 9, andpreferablyrresting upon the y upper edge of the ext-ension 6 of the nut.The lower portion, 15, of 'theV housing is preferably flaring, while theupper portion, 16, is cylindrical. These two parts join at approximatelythe plane in which is located the upper surface of the insulating base14, when the parts are properly assembled.

The housing 9 is easily formed, and serves to enclose and protect theparts of the circuit maker and breaker. It may be easily and quicklyapplied to the nut 4 by merely pressing its low-er expansible end` overthe flaring extension 6 of the nut. The housing may be separated fromthe nut by tilting it bodily so that the flange 1() is sprung out of therecess 7.

It will be seen that while the housing is securely supported above thenut 4 it does not cover the latter, which is left free so that it may beengaged by a wrench should it be desirable to tighten the nut or removeit. This may be done without injuring or distorting in any way thehousing or necessitating its removal before the wrench is applied.

What wefclaim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:V

1. The combination with a circuit making-and-breaking device having anexposed push button, of a housingrtherefor having an expansible,resilient inturned flange, and al support having Va recess with whichthe said flange of the housing engages.

2. The combination of a nut at the end of the steering post orshaft ofan automobile, formed with an extension, at the housing, the flange atthe other end being base of which is a circumferential recess, aresilient and expansble and adapted to enhouslng of shell-like formprovided with gage with the recess in the nut to hold the 10 inturnedanges at its opposite ends, and a hOUSHg SSCUXBd therewcreuitmakng-and-breaking device Within the housing having en exposed buttonheld DAVID BEHRSING.

in place by the flange at one end of the CLARENCE A. GODSHALK.

